Kelly Rowland's estranged dad wants to see her

(UPI) -- Kelly Rowland hasn't seen her dad since she was seven years old, but her now 67-year-old father is hoping they can make peace before it's too late.

Rowland's mother Doris left Christopher Lovett, now a recovering alcoholic, years ago. He said he has repeatedly tried to reach out to his daughter over the years: whenever she would appear on the cover of a magazine, he would call the publication and beg to be put in touch.

"So many previous years have passed and I'm getting old," he told Star Magazine. "I just pray she comes back into my life before it's too late."

Lovett, who admits to an explosive temper, said he wants to make amends for his behavior toward her and her mother.

"I couldn't control it," he said. "I hoped I could make it up to her. But I'm still waiting for that day."

In the past, Rowland has said she hopes she'll some day speak to Lovett again.

"I do have a desire to speak to him," she said in 2011. "But I have to be ready when I make that decision, and I don't want to hurry myself. I've been without him for more than 20 years."